According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging around 70 percent of people over the age of 65 will require long-term care services at some point in their life. This means they will need assistance with at least two activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, dressing, or bathing. Some may need an even higher level of care such as skilled nursing care. According to the latest AOA research, the average woman needs long-term care services for 3.7 years, and the average man for 2.2 years. Who Pays the Costs of Long-Term Care? At present, most long-term care is paid for from:  an individual’s own resources, his or her family’s resources, a few types of insurance coverage's, or Medicaid. Medicaid is designed to cover the health care costs of a mostly indigent population. In fact, Medicaid uses the federal poverty level to determine eligibility. Medicare covers only the following long-term care service: Skilled Nursing Facility Benefit: After you have been in a hospital for at least three days, Medicare may pay for your care while you recover in a certified skilled nursing facility for up to 100 days. You are responsible for a daily co-payment for every day in the nursing home between the 21st and the 100th day. After 100 days the expense falls on the individual. 

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